The Clarence-Rockland Fire Department (CRFD) remind us of the importance of good maintenance for fire and carbon monoxide detectors.

Benjamin Richard - Local Journalism Initiative

For this Fire Prevention Week, Mario Villeneuve, the Protective Services Director and Fire Chief for the City of Clarence-Rockland, as well as Charles Gagnon, the Chief of Prevention and Public Education Division for the Clarence-Rockland Fire Department, touch upon the steps to take for the right maintenance of Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors so that they can accomplish their goal of saving lives in case of a fire or being in the presence of carbon monoxide.

“We’ve seen a record high statistics of fatal fires. We had 133 fatal fires in 2022 in Ontario, normally we’re ranging just under a 100 per year”, explains Charles Gagnon. The emergency services describe the usefulness of their “Get Out Alive” program, where firefighters do door-to-door visits in Rockland, Bourget, St-Pascal, Clarence-Creek, and Hammond to ensure that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are in place and working in homes.

“Our priority is to make sure all the homes are protected, and after a 10 year term, we’ll knock on 10,000 homes” says Gagnon, emphasizing the reach of their “Get Out Alive” program.